Poverty estimates based on enumeration from a single point in time form the cornerstone for much of the literature on poverty. Households are typically interviewed once about their consumption or income, and their wellbeing is assessed from their responses.
... See More + Global estimates of poverty that aggregate poverty counts from all countries implicitly assume that the counts are comparable. This paper illustrates that this assumption of comparability is potentially invalid when households are interviewed multiple times with repeat visits throughout the year. The paper provides an example from Jordan, where the internationally comparable approach of handling the data from repeat visits yields a poverty rate that is 26 percent greater than the rate that is currently reported as the official estimate. The paper also explores alternative definitions of poverty, informed in part by the psychological and biophysical literature on the long-run effects of short-term exposure to poverty or generally adverse environments. This alternative concept of poverty suggests that the prevalence of those who have been affected by poverty in Jordan during 2010 is more than twice as large as the official 2010 estimate of poverty.
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This note presents a framework for designing and implementing social protection and labor (SPL) systems in middle and low income countries. It argues that enhancing coordination across SPL policies, programs, and administrative tools has the potential to enhance both individual program performance as well as the overall provision of social protection across programs.
... See More + The general goal is to improve the implementation of the three core social protection functions: (i) protecting income and consumption in the face of shocks such as, disease, unemployment, or disability in old-age; (ii) reducing poverty and deprivation; and (iii) improving individuals labor market and earnings opportunities. A systems view of social protection takes a general perspective, focusing on how basic instruments can work together to deliver the three core functions. Thus, it looks at how programs interact and complement each other across risks/shocks.
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This paper provides an overview of poverty measurement issues in Vietnam for the non-specialist. Vietnam has two main approaches to measuring poverty.
... See More + An income-based approach is used by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to generate a classification used for determining anti-poverty program eligibility as well as poverty monitoring over the short term. A separate consumption-based approach has been used by the General Statistics Office and the World Bank (GSO-WB), principally to examine poverty changes over the longer run. These national poverty lines are distinct from the $1.25-a-day and $2-a-day international poverty lines. Vietnams GSO-WB national poverty line is similar in purchasing power parity terms to that of other countries with similar levels of development. Simple projections of poverty rates through 2020 imply that the GSO-WB poverty rate will fall from a 2012 level of 17.2 percent to below 10 percent by 2020, and that over a third of ethnic minorities will still be poor despite large poverty reduction gains.
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In this paper the authors analyze the evolution and the determinants of in-work poverty in Poland, according to three poverty lines: relative, absolute, and the 1998-adjusted poverty line.
... See More + The authors find that behind moderately high in-work poverty incidence in Poland there is very high in-work poverty in agriculture and modest in-work poverty in all other sectors. Workers are much less likely to be poor than jobless individuals, especially the unemployed. In fact, the share of adults out of employment is a much stronger predictor of households risk of poverty than the level of wages at which they work. Moreover, the share of jobless adults or of agricultural workers has become an increasing determinant of in-work poverty over time. The risk of in-work poverty is also inversely related to the educational attainment and the stability of employment of an individual, which is especially important considering that the incidence of temporary contracts in Poland is the highest across both European Union (EU) and Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Existing fiscal and benefit policies have not been sufficient to address in-work poverty and some of its underlying causes in the labor market: the author presents four policy recommendations aimed at tackling in-work and total poverty, and at increasing labor market participation and employment.
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By most measures, the 2000s were one of the most impressive decades for economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). With the exception of 2009, the regions gross domestic product per capita grew consistently at an average rate of 2.5 percent between 2000 and 2012.
... See More + During the same period, and despite being one of the most unequal regions in the world, inequalities reduced substantially. The regional Gini coefficient for per capita income, for instance, decreased by an unprecedented five percentage points, from 0.57 in 2000 to 0.52 in 2012. Sustained economic growth, joint with substantial reductions in income inequality, led to remarkable increases in the incomes of those at the bottom of the income distribution. Accordingly, poverty in LAC decreased by more than 16 percentage points within a single decade, from 41.6 percent in 2003 to 25.3 percent in 2012. Furthermore, extreme poverty was cut in half, from 24.5 percent to 12.3 percent (Figure 1).1 Overall, a remarkable 70 million people moved out of poverty: the strongest poverty reduction performance of the region in decades. In spite of these dramatic advances, one in four Latin Americans today remains poor. Those who experience shocks that cause them to fall temporarily into poverty are considered to be the transitory poor. However, many people are born into poverty and never escape their poverty status: these are the chronic poor. The chronic poor have not benefitted much from the impressive growth rates of the 2000s and may have fallen into the cracks of the social assistance system; they have been left behind. Furthermore, the prospects of them escaping poverty in the near future are weak. GDP growth has slowed significantly, from about six percent in 2010 to an estimated 0.8 percent in 2014. As a result, improved labor market prospects may not prove to be sufficient for the chronic poor to escape poverty.
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By most measures, the 2000s were one of the most impressive decades for economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). With the exception of 2009, the regions gross domestic product per capita grew consistently at an average rate of 2.5 percent between 2000 and 2012.
... See More + During the same period, and despite being one of the most unequal regions in the world, inequalities reduced substantially. The regional Gini coefficient for per capita income, for instance, decreased by an unprecedented five percentage points, from 0.57 in 2000 to 0.52 in 2012. Sustained economic growth, joint with substantial reductions in income inequality, led to remarkable increases in the incomes of those at the bottom of the income distribution. Accordingly, poverty in LAC decreased by more than 16 percentage points within a single decade, from 41.6 percent in 2003 to 25.3 percent in 2012. Furthermore, extreme poverty was cut in half, from 24.5 percent to 12.3 percent (Figure 1).1 Overall, a remarkable 70 million people moved out of poverty: the strongest poverty reduction performance of the region in decades. In spite of these dramatic advances, one in four Latin Americans today remains poor. Those who experience shocks that cause them to fall temporarily into poverty are considered to be the transitory poor. However, many people are born into poverty and never escape their poverty status: these are the chronic poor. The chronic poor have not benefitted much from the impressive growth rates of the 2000s and may have fallen into the cracks of the social assistance system; they have been left behind. Furthermore, the prospects of them escaping poverty in the near future are weak. GDP growth has slowed significantly, from about six percent in 2010 to an estimated 0.8 percent in 2014. As a result, improved labor market prospects may not prove to be sufficient for the chronic poor to escape poverty.
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The report includes the thematic and chronological listing of items pertaining to the Board and and committees work programs for the second quarter of FY15 to the fourth quarter of FY15.
... See More + Additional information on the work program, including a database of forthcoming Board items, which is updated on an ongoing basis, is available on the Executive Directors Portal (EDsPortal). An updated executive directors work program is discussed each month at the Executive Directors steering committee meeting.
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The Djibouti Urban Poverty Reduction Project (PREPUD) focuses on emergency measures through the rehabilitation and reconstruction of basic infrastructure and services.
... See More + The goal is to improve peoples access to basic urban services: road works, drainage, public lighting etc. and strengthening the capacities of the agents in urban areas. However, the implementation of the PREPUD project may lead to land acquisition that would result in loss of areas, properties and/or socio-economic activities to the detriment of surrounding communities, including their possible relocation. In order to prevent and mitigate any negative impacts that may arise from the implementation of the project, this Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) is developed to manage by consensus the negative social impacts. The potential negative social impacts of the PREPUD project will be mainly related to the loss of land and/or buildings, the temporary or permanent loss of activities, loss of shelter, loss of assets (kiosks, canteens, stores), loss of sources of income or livelihood, restricted access to sources of income and the temporary or permanent displacement of people located on the project site. These activities could have negative social impacts on people and property. However, these impacts can be minimized or eliminated through technical options (reduction of expropriations, excavations) to only consider the required site surface, options or alternatives on the route.
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This flagship World Bank annual report covers the period from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. The depth and breadth of the World Bank Groups sectoral knowledge, along with its range of financial and technical assistance instruments, helps countries address these challenges.
... See More + This year the World Bank Group underwent an historic institutional change. The new Global Practices and Cross-Cutting Solution Areas, for example, will improve the sharing of knowledge and complement the Bank Groups country-based engagement model and the existing strengths of its regional units and country offices. The implementation of these changes creates a more nimble global structure and improves the World Bank Groups ability to help countries make progress toward the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, the new World Bank Group Strategy. The contents of this annual report include: 1) World Bank Group 2014 Summary Results; 2) Message from the President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors; 3) Message from the Board of Executive Directors; 4) Building a Solutions World Bank Group; 5) The World Bank Promoting Opportunity, Growth, and Prosperity; 6) The Regions; 7) The Roles of IBRD and IDA; 8) Operational Summary, FY 2010-14; 9) World Bank Lending by Theme and Sector, FY 2010-14; and 10) Committed to Results. The section on the regions highlights the major goals achieved, projects undertaken, strategies revised, and publications produced in FY 2014. Selected project stories are also presented, along with a snapshot of facts and figures about each region. Full audited Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis and also comprehensive lending and organizational data for IBRD and IDA are included as separate volumes to this annual report.
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This flagship World Bank annual report covers the period from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. The depth and breadth of the World Bank Groups sectoral knowledge, along with its range of financial and technical assistance instruments, helps countries address these challenges.
... See More + This year the World Bank Group underwent an historic institutional change. The new Global Practices and Cross-Cutting Solution Areas, for example, will improve the sharing of knowledge and complement the Bank Groups country-based engagement model and the existing strengths of its regional units and country offices. The implementation of these changes creates a more nimble global structure and improves the World Bank Groups ability to help countries make progress toward the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, the new World Bank Group Strategy. The contents of this annual report include: 1) World Bank Group 2014 Summary Results; 2) Message from the President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors; 3) Message from the Board of Executive Directors; 4) Building a Solutions World Bank Group; 5) The World Bank Promoting Opportunity, Growth, and Prosperity; 6) The Regions; 7) The Roles of IBRD and IDA; 8) Operational Summary, FY 2010-14; 9) World Bank Lending by Theme and Sector, FY 2010-14; and 10) Committed to Results. The section on the regions highlights the major goals achieved, projects undertaken, strategies revised, and publications produced in FY 2014. Selected project stories are also presented, along with a snapshot of facts and figures about each region. Full audited Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis and also comprehensive lending and organizational data for IBRD and IDA are included as separate volumes to this annual report.
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This flagship World Bank annual report covers the period from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. The depth and breadth of the World Bank Groups sectoral knowledge, along with its range of financial and technical assistance instruments, helps countries address these challenges.
... See More + This year the World Bank Group underwent an historic institutional change. The new Global Practices and Cross-Cutting Solution Areas, for example, will improve the sharing of knowledge and complement the Bank Groups country-based engagement model and the existing strengths of its regional units and country offices. The implementation of these changes creates a more nimble global structure and improves the World Bank Groups ability to help countries make progress toward the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, the new World Bank Group Strategy. The contents of this annual report include: 1) World Bank Group 2014 Summary Results; 2) Message from the President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors; 3) Message from the Board of Executive Directors; 4) Building a Solutions World Bank Group; 5) The World Bank Promoting Opportunity, Growth, and Prosperity; 6) The Regions; 7) The Roles of IBRD and IDA; 8) Operational Summary, FY 2010-14; 9) World Bank Lending by Theme and Sector, FY 2010-14; and 10) Committed to Results. The section on the regions highlights the major goals achieved, projects undertaken, strategies revised, and publications produced in FY 2014. Selected project stories are also presented, along with a snapshot of facts and figures about each region. Full audited Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis and also comprehensive lending and organizational data for IBRD and IDA are included as separate volumes to this annual report.
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This flagship World Bank annual report covers the period from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. The depth and breadth of the World Bank Groups sectoral knowledge, along with its range of financial and technical assistance instruments, helps countries address these challenges.
... See More + This year the World Bank Group underwent an historic institutional change. The new Global Practices and Cross-Cutting Solution Areas, for example, will improve the sharing of knowledge and complement the Bank Groups country-based engagement model and the existing strengths of its regional units and country offices. The implementation of these changes creates a more nimble global structure and improves the World Bank Groups ability to help countries make progress toward the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, the new World Bank Group Strategy. The contents of this annual report include: 1) World Bank Group 2014 Summary Results; 2) Message from the President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors; 3) Message from the Board of Executive Directors; 4) Building a Solutions World Bank Group; 5) The World Bank Promoting Opportunity, Growth, and Prosperity; 6) The Regions; 7) The Roles of IBRD and IDA; 8) Operational Summary, FY 2010-14; 9) World Bank Lending by Theme and Sector, FY 2010-14; and 10) Committed to Results. The section on the regions highlights the major goals achieved, projects undertaken, strategies revised, and publications produced in FY 2014. Selected project stories are also presented, along with a snapshot of facts and figures about each region. Full audited Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis and also comprehensive lending and organizational data for IBRD and IDA are included as separate volumes to this annual report.
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This flagship World Bank annual report covers the period from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. The depth and breadth of the World Bank Groups sectoral knowledge, along with its range of financial and technical assistance instruments, helps countries address these challenges.
... See More + This year the World Bank Group underwent an historic institutional change. The new Global Practices and Cross-Cutting Solution Areas, for example, will improve the sharing of knowledge and complement the Bank Groups country-based engagement model and the existing strengths of its regional units and country offices. The implementation of these changes creates a more nimble global structure and improves the World Bank Groups ability to help countries make progress toward the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, the new World Bank Group Strategy. The contents of this annual report include: 1) World Bank Group 2014 Summary Results; 2) Message from the President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors; 3) Message from the Board of Executive Directors; 4) Building a Solutions World Bank Group; 5) The World Bank Promoting Opportunity, Growth, and Prosperity; 6) The Regions; 7) The Roles of IBRD and IDA; 8) Operational Summary, FY 2010-14; 9) World Bank Lending by Theme and Sector, FY 2010-14; and 10) Committed to Results. The section on the regions highlights the major goals achieved, projects undertaken, strategies revised, and publications produced in FY 2014. Selected project stories are also presented, along with a snapshot of facts and figures about each region. Full audited Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis and also comprehensive lending and organizational data for IBRD and IDA are included as separate volumes to this annual report.
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This flagship World Bank annual report covers the period from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. The depth and breadth of the World Bank Groups sectoral knowledge, along with its range of financial and technical assistance instruments, helps countries address these challenges.
... See More + This year the World Bank Group underwent an historic institutional change. The new Global Practices and Cross-Cutting Solution Areas, for example, will improve the sharing of knowledge and complement the Bank Groups country-based engagement model and the existing strengths of its regional units and country offices. The implementation of these changes creates a more nimble global structure and improves the World Bank Groups ability to help countries make progress toward the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, the new World Bank Group Strategy. The contents of this annual report include: 1) World Bank Group 2014 Summary Results; 2) Message from the President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors; 3) Message from the Board of Executive Directors; 4) Building a Solutions World Bank Group; 5) The World Bank Promoting Opportunity, Growth, and Prosperity; 6) The Regions; 7) The Roles of IBRD and IDA; 8) Operational Summary, FY 2010-14; 9) World Bank Lending by Theme and Sector, FY 2010-14; and 10) Committed to Results. The section on the regions highlights the major goals achieved, projects undertaken, strategies revised, and publications produced in FY 2014. Selected project stories are also presented, along with a snapshot of facts and figures about each region. Full audited Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis and also comprehensive lending and organizational data for IBRD and IDA are included as separate volumes to this annual report.
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This flagship World Bank annual report covers the period from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014. The depth and breadth of the World Bank Groups sectoral knowledge, along with its range of financial and technical assistance instruments, helps countries address these challenges.
... See More + This year the World Bank Group underwent an historic institutional change. The new Global Practices and Cross-Cutting Solution Areas, for example, will improve the sharing of knowledge and complement the Bank Groups country-based engagement model and the existing strengths of its regional units and country offices. The implementation of these changes creates a more nimble global structure and improves the World Bank Groups ability to help countries make progress toward the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, the new World Bank Group Strategy. The contents of this annual report include: 1) World Bank Group 2014 Summary Results; 2) Message from the President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors; 3) Message from the Board of Executive Directors; 4) Building a Solutions World Bank Group; 5) The World Bank Promoting Opportunity, Growth, and Prosperity; 6) The Regions; 7) The Roles of IBRD and IDA; 8) Operational Summary, FY 2010-14; 9) World Bank Lending by Theme and Sector, FY 2010-14; and 10) Committed to Results. The section on the regions highlights the major goals achieved, projects undertaken, strategies revised, and publications produced in FY 2014. Selected project stories are also presented, along with a snapshot of facts and figures about each region. Full audited Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis and also comprehensive lending and organizational data for IBRD and IDA are included as separate volumes to this annual report.
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